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Mundelein eliminates fire chief position
Excerpts from the Chicago Tribune:
Mundelein recently made a bold move by promoting their police chief to oversee both the police and fire departments, instead of filling the vacant fire chief position. Village Administrator John Lobaito mentioned that this new arrangement will last between 12 to 24 months as a trial period while the village explores potential partnerships with neighboring municipalities. Countryside Fire Protection District has already shown interest, according to Countryside Fire Chief Jeff Steingart.
"When Mundelein first reached out, we were open to discussing what we could potentially do together," Steingart said. "It's still very early stages, but once they finalize their plans, our leadership teams will sit down to discuss further."
Steingart noted that Senate Resolution 760, passed unanimously by the Illinois Senate on July 15th, is driving some of these discussions. This resolution encourages Lake County's local governments to consolidate operations in order to cut costs for taxpayers. A committee has been tasked with studying these possibilities and submitting a report by October 2016.
Mundelein's leadership shake-up happened after over three months without a fire chief or deputy fire chief. Tim Sashko retired in April due to recurring neck injuries, and shortly after, Deputy Chief Tim Leidig accepted a position elsewhere. On August 10th, the village introduced a new role called Public Safety Director to manage both departments, promoting Police Chief Eric Guenther to this position, effectively reducing the administrative staff by one.
"This isn't the final solution," Lobaito stated before the vote. "We'll keep this setup until it proves ineffective or until we find a better alternative."
Battalion Chief Ben Yoder, who had been handling administrative tasks, was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief at the same meeting. Internal promotions will create one opening for a firefighter, but no new positions will be added overall.
The ordinance approved by Mundelein specifically keeps the roles of fire chief and police chief open in case the old structure needs to be restored. By not replacing Sashko, Mundelein expects to save over $135,000 annually. Sashko's final salary was $147,113, whereas Guenther's new stipend is $971.66 per month. Guenther's police chief salary remains at $153,340, marking a 7.6% annual increase.
Countryside already collaborates closely with Mundelein's fire department, so integrating more shared administrators seems feasible. The Countryside fire station on Midlothian Road technically serves Mundelein residents, though Countryside isn't officially responsible for those areas.
Countryside operates independently as a taxing authority covering about 35,000 residents across 24 square miles, including parts of Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Indian Creek, Kildeer, and unincorporated zones.
Back in the mid-90s, when Mundelein's borders approached Countryside's Midlothian Road station, both parties agreed to mutual assistance—Countryside would help along Midlothian Road, and Mundelein would assist along Route 45.
"I believe we can work towards full consolidation—not just between Mundelein and Countryside, but involving other agencies as well," Steingart said. "It's a long process since it involves voter approval, but we all aim to save lives and already cooperate significantly."
Steingart highlighted ongoing progress in dispatch coordination. For years, Vernon Hills' dispatch center has handled calls for Countryside, Lincolnshire, and Libertyville police and fire services. This partnership reduces costs while enhancing communication during emergencies. A current study aims to expand this model further.
Vernon Hills Police Chief Mark Fleischhauer discussed this topic at a July 7th village board meeting. He mentioned that the Lake County Emergency Telephone System Board is investing $350,000 in studying the feasibility of a countywide dispatch center. Additionally, in August 2014, the board contributed $2 million toward new radio towers in Lake County, designed and operated by Motorola, with Lake County covering the remaining $7 million installation costs.
These upgraded towers enable anyone using compatible handheld radios and dispatch equipment to access the network, according to Lt. Mike Gregory of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Currently, Vernon Hills' dispatch center is utilizing this enhanced system.
On July 7th, Fleischhauer persuaded Vernon Hills trustees to back the study for a unified county dispatch center and approved switching the existing dispatch center to the Motorola network. Previously, Vernon Hills relied on a limited set of radio towers managed by local municipalities. Now, the expense for a radio network is shared among state agencies and increasingly more Illinois municipalities.
Fleischhauer explained that if a countywide dispatch center is established, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, and Countryside crews will already be equipped with the necessary radios.
Mundelein's police and fire services remain outside the Vernon Hills dispatch center network, and officials are still evaluating their options regarding radio systems.